| "Kevin, get changed." Three rather famous words which, according to Kevin Keegan, were spoken by an outwardly calm but inwardly panicked Alf Ramsey as England desperately chased a winner against Poland in 1973 which would take them to the following summer's World Cup finals, but without which they'd be absent. Keegan, on the bench and two caps into his career, thought he was the player in question, but it was in fact the uncapped Kevin Hector whom Ramsey was beckoning to strip and get on to the pitch, in place of Allan Clarke. It was 1-1 and although Hector got less than two minutes, he had an immediate chance to score and become a hero, but this was denied to him by Poland's impossibly charmed goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski. The game ended in a draw and the opening moments of Hector's international career would be forever associated with a hysteria-stricken manager and an abject failure by his team-mates. This was harsh on the likeable and skilled forward, who had earned and relished his call-up after several seasons as a frequent and frightening goalscorer for Derby County (he is pictured above in action for the Rams), latterly under Brian Clough. He appeared again for England a month later in the same circumstances - again as a sub, again for Clarke, again at Wembley, again no victory - as Ramsey's men lost 1-0 to Italy, but despite continuing to fire in the goals for a Derby team which would win another title and threaten to conquer Europe, Hector would not return under Ramsey's successors. (Matthew Rudd) |